Denver and the West

Ski resorts against bill on year-round daylight saving time

When a Senate committee unanimously approved a bill that would put Colorado on daylight saving time year-round, nobody appeared to testify against it.

Many of the state's ski resorts are making sure that's the last time the bill goes unchallenged.

Sen. Greg Brophy, R-Wray, got his Senate Bill 22 through the energy committee on a 6-0 vote last month..

Brophy said Coloradans would appreciate the extra outdoor recreational time his bill would afford them in the evenings, but ski resorts are more concerned with how the time change would affect them in the mornings during their peak winter season.

"It'll cut an hour out of our operating time," said Melanie Mills, president and chief executive of Colorado Ski Country.

Mills said the extra darkness in the morning would prevent ski resorts from performing avalanche maintenance and other important work to make the slopes ready for skiers and snowboarders, which would push opening times back even later.

Mills said the committee meeting on SB 22 occurred abruptly, while she was away, which is why she didn't testify in opposition to the bill at that time.

Although Mills' group, which represents 22 ski resorts in Colorado, doesn't support the bill, Mills said Brophy still has credit with outdoor enthusiasts.

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